Plunging into the 1970s Berlin underground, this unforgettable portrait stands as one of the most harrowing films ever made about drug addiction. Based on the true story of Christiane Felscherinow—whose shocking memoir made her the face of a generation of troubled German youth—this bracing dramatization follows the alienated thirteen-year-old Christiane (Natja Brunckhorst) as she goes from popping pills to shooting heroin amid West Berlin’s infamous club scene, the highs of adolescent abandon giving way to an agonizing existence on the city’s desolate margins. An instant cult sensation on account of its authentically grimy location shooting and electrifying soundtrack by David Bowie, Christiane F. remains a haunting vision of a young life in free fall. This 4K restored presentation from the Criterion Collection also comes with special features.
